"It's impossible to pray and have nothing happen. God is not deaf or blind." Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California.
As believers, the above statement has powerful implications for every aspect of our lives (at least those we pray about). I'm sure some theologians would raise objections about non-believers and a couple of other categories of believers living out of the will of God, but for the most part, believers striving to pursue God's will for their lives the statement is true. Of course, His timing is different from our timing and His answer may look different than what we're expecting. But the principle is intriguing. If we go forward, in faith, based on the assumption that God hears our prayers, what might we expect? Notice I didn't say, what might we see. We may see no changes or differences on the surface of things. Yesterday's trip downtown was pretty much a repeat of the week before. The places where I saw most of my homeless friends were still deserted. I only saw John Stokes, everyone else was a new face. I did go later, towards evening time and stayed until after dark. The people I helped were all alone. When you find a homeless person alone at night and just after it's dark, the chances are high that they are hungry. Such was the case last night. At least half and probably most of the people I helped were hungry. One man, who I didn't recognize, said, "You always come at just the right time." I guess he recognized me. All I know is, when I saw him pushing his cart down the middle of a small street off Alameda, in darkness, he had the most gaunt and haunting look on his face. I knew right away he needed help and needed it right then. Now I had been praying before and during the trip that I would find those who God needed me to reach. It would appear, I was also the answer to this man's private prayer too, along with a half a dozen others I was able to reach. I'll keep praying and believing He will send me to the ones needing the most help. One other man was leaning against a building down on Olive St. He was eating a piece of bread (a very small piece of bread). When I pulled up next to him (Olive is a one-way street) I saw he was eating something and I asked if he needed some "aqua". He indicated he did and then asked if I had "More bread?" Then there was a woman sitting in the darkness on the sidewalk on Wall St and 9th who was all alone, there were several others in similar situations last night too. It's always a great privilege to help those in great need. -Until next week. John
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Downtown 10/23/2012
God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and mountains fall. --Psalm 46: 1-2
The above verse came to mind after witnessing so many of my friends shelters gone today. It was a day I won't soon forget. Richard Brown, who I met the first day I started making these trips was no longer under the I-10 freeway on Hooper St. His 65th birthday is this Friday and he had been telling me he was going to move to Mississippi as soon as he could start collecting Social Security. I was hoping to see him once more before he left. Some of the things I'll remember about him include how he always (and I mean every time) insisted on me praying with him. He was the one who, after meeting and talking with him during my very first trip, said my prayer for him was better than the food I gave him. I learned how God really does forgive every time we ask. One day I pulled up to where he was cooking on the sidewalk and I could tell he had been drinking. In an instant it hit me, "John do you really believe that God forgives repeatedly for the same offense?" His word tells us he does, but do I 'really' believe it? It was a wake-up call for me about believing what God's word tells us. I'll also, never forget that people living on the street grieve too. One day I pulled up to where he was and he showed me the program of the funeral service of his brother, Cleveland. I could tell he was really upset about it. His brother was several years younger than he was and was fairly well off, but died suddenly of a heart attack. His sister had come by to tell him. It got me to thinking about how homeless people deal with the deaths of their family members and their friends on the street. There are no 'funeral services' that they can go to, their relationship is just over...suddenly. I had a barbecue earlier in the summer and had a chance to talk with some of my friends about it. I hope it helped. Richard was always upbeat and talkative. If he had gone to bed for the night, he would always get up to talk with me. I'll miss him. I'll be praying for a successful transition to this stage of his life, he's been looking forward to it for years.
Just up the street from where Richard lived is the alley where I had the last barbecue (4 Sundays ago on Sept 30th). All of my friends there were gone. It appears the city went through and cleared everything away. There were no people and no debris left in the alley. I couldn't even find any of them in the vicinity. I'll have to try going on Sunday evening to see if anyone is around. It's hard finding some of these people on a weekday like today. I did find John Stokes at his spot under the freeway east of Alameda. All of his stuff was gone too, but he was sleeping on the ground with a couple of blankets. He told me he had gone to the Jack in the Box a week ago and when he came back everything had been taken away. This has happened 3 or 4 times that I know of in the last 3 1/2 years. I was able to give him a nice jacket with a hood and a couple of pairs of socks. He told me he was going to be turning 65 on May 3rd of next year and was going to move back to Georgia, where his family is from.
Although I will miss some of the regulars that were living in these alleys, it forces me to find and meet other people in need. My 'regulars' will turn up eventually. There's always a new influx of homeless people to the area. It's an opportunity to show them God hasn't forgotten them and cares about their well-being. I did meet some new people today. Carlos, who was sleeping in a shopping cart on a small street off Olive, Lamar who was on 14th St, Kenneth in a small alley off Alameda all were struggling to survive today. They were a little suspect of my motive initially, but gladly accepted the help. When I asked for nothing in return, I'm sure it surprised them. Next time they will probably be more responsive. I did see a man named Isaiah, who I hadn't seen in a couple of years. He was under the 4th St bridge and was digging around in a dumpster. There was another woman sleeping under a blanket in the parking lot of the Jack in the Box right in front of their dumpster. She looked lonely, tired and frustrated with life. I don't think she wanted to be woken up, but as I drove away she was already starting to eat some of the food. I'm sure all these people would have continued on with their day with hunger pains if I hadn't come by.
One final thought. One of the girls who took my order at the Jack in the Box asked if I was giving away the food to the homeless. When I said I was, she replied, "You have a big heart." I really didn't know what to say at the time. But later, I thought, God has the big heart, he just gave me a piece of his. --Until next time. John
The above verse came to mind after witnessing so many of my friends shelters gone today. It was a day I won't soon forget. Richard Brown, who I met the first day I started making these trips was no longer under the I-10 freeway on Hooper St. His 65th birthday is this Friday and he had been telling me he was going to move to Mississippi as soon as he could start collecting Social Security. I was hoping to see him once more before he left. Some of the things I'll remember about him include how he always (and I mean every time) insisted on me praying with him. He was the one who, after meeting and talking with him during my very first trip, said my prayer for him was better than the food I gave him. I learned how God really does forgive every time we ask. One day I pulled up to where he was cooking on the sidewalk and I could tell he had been drinking. In an instant it hit me, "John do you really believe that God forgives repeatedly for the same offense?" His word tells us he does, but do I 'really' believe it? It was a wake-up call for me about believing what God's word tells us. I'll also, never forget that people living on the street grieve too. One day I pulled up to where he was and he showed me the program of the funeral service of his brother, Cleveland. I could tell he was really upset about it. His brother was several years younger than he was and was fairly well off, but died suddenly of a heart attack. His sister had come by to tell him. It got me to thinking about how homeless people deal with the deaths of their family members and their friends on the street. There are no 'funeral services' that they can go to, their relationship is just over...suddenly. I had a barbecue earlier in the summer and had a chance to talk with some of my friends about it. I hope it helped. Richard was always upbeat and talkative. If he had gone to bed for the night, he would always get up to talk with me. I'll miss him. I'll be praying for a successful transition to this stage of his life, he's been looking forward to it for years.
Just up the street from where Richard lived is the alley where I had the last barbecue (4 Sundays ago on Sept 30th). All of my friends there were gone. It appears the city went through and cleared everything away. There were no people and no debris left in the alley. I couldn't even find any of them in the vicinity. I'll have to try going on Sunday evening to see if anyone is around. It's hard finding some of these people on a weekday like today. I did find John Stokes at his spot under the freeway east of Alameda. All of his stuff was gone too, but he was sleeping on the ground with a couple of blankets. He told me he had gone to the Jack in the Box a week ago and when he came back everything had been taken away. This has happened 3 or 4 times that I know of in the last 3 1/2 years. I was able to give him a nice jacket with a hood and a couple of pairs of socks. He told me he was going to be turning 65 on May 3rd of next year and was going to move back to Georgia, where his family is from.
Although I will miss some of the regulars that were living in these alleys, it forces me to find and meet other people in need. My 'regulars' will turn up eventually. There's always a new influx of homeless people to the area. It's an opportunity to show them God hasn't forgotten them and cares about their well-being. I did meet some new people today. Carlos, who was sleeping in a shopping cart on a small street off Olive, Lamar who was on 14th St, Kenneth in a small alley off Alameda all were struggling to survive today. They were a little suspect of my motive initially, but gladly accepted the help. When I asked for nothing in return, I'm sure it surprised them. Next time they will probably be more responsive. I did see a man named Isaiah, who I hadn't seen in a couple of years. He was under the 4th St bridge and was digging around in a dumpster. There was another woman sleeping under a blanket in the parking lot of the Jack in the Box right in front of their dumpster. She looked lonely, tired and frustrated with life. I don't think she wanted to be woken up, but as I drove away she was already starting to eat some of the food. I'm sure all these people would have continued on with their day with hunger pains if I hadn't come by.
One final thought. One of the girls who took my order at the Jack in the Box asked if I was giving away the food to the homeless. When I said I was, she replied, "You have a big heart." I really didn't know what to say at the time. But later, I thought, God has the big heart, he just gave me a piece of his. --Until next time. John
Monday, October 1, 2012
Downtown 9/30/2012--Last barbecue for the year
"Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him. Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as ....[a] sacrifice that pleases God." --Ephesians 5:1-2
My wife shared this verse with me a couple of nights ago, and it has impacted me on so many levels ever since. This is one of the verses that the older translations say, "Be imitators of God." One of the objectives of this ministry is to encourage the people that I meet to simply do better, whether it's to make better daily decisions or to live at peace with themselves and the world. We all carry baggage around with us. Some of it is ancient history from growing up and some is more recent. One of the men yesterday shared briefly about the physical abuse he endured growing up. Another shared with me some of the abuse he suffered going to a Christian school in an east coast state. Wherever and whenever these times occured, it stays with us and affects the way we look and react to current life situations. Yet Paul's advice in the verse quoted above is profoundly simple. Be like God is. Does it have to be a life-long process to overcome things that happened to us as kids. I don't know, but it probably does take a long time to retrain ourselves to being controlled by love first and not fear and anger. The best thing about having the barbecues is that I get to spend a lot of time talking to these guys while the food is cooking. Yesterday, was probably one of the best times for doing just that. I got down there shortly before 4 pm and stayed til almost 7 pm. There is a core of about 5 or 6 men who live on this alley off Hooper St and another 3 or 4 people wandered through while I was there. Everyone was fed, everyone had a good time. At the time of day that we started, it had begun to cool off and within a short time we were in the shadows of the buildings around us. Chris told me that every Friday, on the other side of the buildings directly south of where we were, someone barbecues a bunch of chickens. The smell of that barbecue reaches them and it's hard for them to endure the smell since they can't afford to go over there and 'buy' a meal. He laughingly called yesterday's barbecue, "Our revenge." As a first, I brought potato salad on ice. It was a huge hit with the guys.
Testimonies are a way of reaching peoples' hearts with real events and circumstances. Originally I began this ministry to simply be where God was working. Little did I know that the first place He starts working is on the heart of the one who's doing the ministry. I guess to be effective in ministry He has to start by preparing your heart. So here is my story. I'm not proud of it, but if it helps someone else, then it's His story. Two months ago, when I did the last barbecue, it didn't go the way I wanted it to. I had 'my agenda' and very little went right. Sure, everyone had a good time, the meal went off well and I got to pray with everyone there, but something bothered me that I only shared with 2 or 3 people afterwards. What that 'something' was, was no one down there helped me. I was cook, waiter and busboy all rolled into one. By wearing all those hats, I didn't get to talk as much with the people as I wanted. So, leading up to Sunday, I was a little concerned about how this one was going to go. After all, I'm having more difficulties lately with the physical exertion of doing these kinds of things and I knew it would be a struggle. Yet the Lord spoke to me on this manner reminding me of something. "John, are you my servant? Aren't you doing this because you're serving me? It's not your concern what they do or don't do to help you" I have always said these folks downtown are flawed people, their flaws just manifest in different ways than ours do. So here I am grumbling about it. Then it struck me right between the eyes so to speak. Jesus' words, "Remove the log out of your own eye before you try to take the speck out of your brother's eye!" I was immediately humbled. I had no right to complain. I asked for His forgiveness. I was still a little concerned about my ability to put on the barbecue, but so what. If it took extra time, so be it. So when I pulled up Sunday and started to get out, you wouldn't believe what happened. Dave started opening up the back door as I was getting out and started unloading everything. Chris helped me prepare and serve the food. When we were done, they both helped me load up the car! I said nothing about my 'problem' to anyone down there! It just happened!! God was so gracious to me!
As we sat around after the meal and talked Tara asked me about some of the 'things' that have happened to me during my trips downtown. So I got to share my "Muslim" story along with another story about God answering my 'desparate' prayer one Sunday afternoon when I couldn't find anyone to help. Santa Barbara said the Muslim story gave him goose bumps. Chris told me he's trying to get into a room down in the skid row area. They call them SRO's which stands for single room occupancy. He wouldn't let me leave until I prayed for him to get a room (gee, twist my arm will ya?) Dave wanted me to just, "Throw out a prayer for me." (I had asked him if there was anything special he wanted me to pray for.")
All in all, it was a great day. I got to pray for people, share scripture with my friends as well as help meet their physical needs. I have always wanted these barbecue days to be like a family picnic. Sunday was perfect. --Until next time. John
My wife shared this verse with me a couple of nights ago, and it has impacted me on so many levels ever since. This is one of the verses that the older translations say, "Be imitators of God." One of the objectives of this ministry is to encourage the people that I meet to simply do better, whether it's to make better daily decisions or to live at peace with themselves and the world. We all carry baggage around with us. Some of it is ancient history from growing up and some is more recent. One of the men yesterday shared briefly about the physical abuse he endured growing up. Another shared with me some of the abuse he suffered going to a Christian school in an east coast state. Wherever and whenever these times occured, it stays with us and affects the way we look and react to current life situations. Yet Paul's advice in the verse quoted above is profoundly simple. Be like God is. Does it have to be a life-long process to overcome things that happened to us as kids. I don't know, but it probably does take a long time to retrain ourselves to being controlled by love first and not fear and anger. The best thing about having the barbecues is that I get to spend a lot of time talking to these guys while the food is cooking. Yesterday, was probably one of the best times for doing just that. I got down there shortly before 4 pm and stayed til almost 7 pm. There is a core of about 5 or 6 men who live on this alley off Hooper St and another 3 or 4 people wandered through while I was there. Everyone was fed, everyone had a good time. At the time of day that we started, it had begun to cool off and within a short time we were in the shadows of the buildings around us. Chris told me that every Friday, on the other side of the buildings directly south of where we were, someone barbecues a bunch of chickens. The smell of that barbecue reaches them and it's hard for them to endure the smell since they can't afford to go over there and 'buy' a meal. He laughingly called yesterday's barbecue, "Our revenge." As a first, I brought potato salad on ice. It was a huge hit with the guys.
Testimonies are a way of reaching peoples' hearts with real events and circumstances. Originally I began this ministry to simply be where God was working. Little did I know that the first place He starts working is on the heart of the one who's doing the ministry. I guess to be effective in ministry He has to start by preparing your heart. So here is my story. I'm not proud of it, but if it helps someone else, then it's His story. Two months ago, when I did the last barbecue, it didn't go the way I wanted it to. I had 'my agenda' and very little went right. Sure, everyone had a good time, the meal went off well and I got to pray with everyone there, but something bothered me that I only shared with 2 or 3 people afterwards. What that 'something' was, was no one down there helped me. I was cook, waiter and busboy all rolled into one. By wearing all those hats, I didn't get to talk as much with the people as I wanted. So, leading up to Sunday, I was a little concerned about how this one was going to go. After all, I'm having more difficulties lately with the physical exertion of doing these kinds of things and I knew it would be a struggle. Yet the Lord spoke to me on this manner reminding me of something. "John, are you my servant? Aren't you doing this because you're serving me? It's not your concern what they do or don't do to help you" I have always said these folks downtown are flawed people, their flaws just manifest in different ways than ours do. So here I am grumbling about it. Then it struck me right between the eyes so to speak. Jesus' words, "Remove the log out of your own eye before you try to take the speck out of your brother's eye!" I was immediately humbled. I had no right to complain. I asked for His forgiveness. I was still a little concerned about my ability to put on the barbecue, but so what. If it took extra time, so be it. So when I pulled up Sunday and started to get out, you wouldn't believe what happened. Dave started opening up the back door as I was getting out and started unloading everything. Chris helped me prepare and serve the food. When we were done, they both helped me load up the car! I said nothing about my 'problem' to anyone down there! It just happened!! God was so gracious to me!
As we sat around after the meal and talked Tara asked me about some of the 'things' that have happened to me during my trips downtown. So I got to share my "Muslim" story along with another story about God answering my 'desparate' prayer one Sunday afternoon when I couldn't find anyone to help. Santa Barbara said the Muslim story gave him goose bumps. Chris told me he's trying to get into a room down in the skid row area. They call them SRO's which stands for single room occupancy. He wouldn't let me leave until I prayed for him to get a room (gee, twist my arm will ya?) Dave wanted me to just, "Throw out a prayer for me." (I had asked him if there was anything special he wanted me to pray for.")
All in all, it was a great day. I got to pray for people, share scripture with my friends as well as help meet their physical needs. I have always wanted these barbecue days to be like a family picnic. Sunday was perfect. --Until next time. John
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